Sprint Wins Stimulus Funding for Fuel Cell Technology

With $7.3 million in funding from the Department of Energy, Sprint aims to add more backup power at cell phone sites using hydrogen fuel cells, which are a cleaner alternative to traditional diesel-powered backup generators.

The U.S. Department of
Energy has awarded Sprint $7.3 million in funding for fuel cell technology. The grant funding
will be used to expand the number of Sprint cell sites that rely on hydrogen
fuel cells for backup power.

The April 17 funding was the largest single grant awarded by the Department of
Energy under a $41.9 million round of funding authorized by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

According to Sprint, the grant will allow for an additional 72 hours of network
resiliency during emergencies and natural disasters. Currently, most deployed
hydrogen fuel cells are paired with low-pressure hydrogen tanks providing
approximately 15 hours of backup power before needing refueling.

Hydrogen fuel cells provide a cleaner alternative to diesel-powered backup
generators that have been utilized in the past. Sprint will work with hydrogen
fuel cell manufacturers, tank providers and hydrogen suppliers as part of the
grant.

"Since 2005 Sprint has been a leader in the deployment of fuel cell technology,"
Bob Azzi, senior vice president of network at Sprint, said in a statement.
"We have deployed more than 250 hydrogen fuel cells in our network, have
been awarded a total of three Department of Energy grants to deploy new
hydrogen fuel cell technologies and awarded 12 patents from the U.S. Patent
Office that include hydrogen fuel cells."